One Night
by Theatress
Summary: A strange thing happened to me one night... Please review :)
1. Chapter 1

_God, he is so hot!_

I watched in hot guy- inspired awe as Captain Jack Sparrow sashayed his way across the TV screen. I've always had a thing for Johnny Depp, but give that man a pirate costume and my god I found myself wishing I could be a lowly kitchen wench just to be near him…_mmmm…The things I would do to him….No!_

_Dammit, I've got to focus on my work!_ I have this super important paper due tomorrow and I had put it off to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. I quickly switched off the TV and walked downstairs to my room. I sat on my bed, flipped open my laptop and stared blankly at the cursor blink over and over again as I tried to come up with something to write. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. 9:14. _Shit. It's going to take me at least another hour and a half to write this._ I sighed. I began just to write meaningless sentences to fill the page. My eyes began to droop. I glanced at the clock again. 9:37. _Okay_, I thought to myself, _I can close my eyes for the next 8 minutes, that's it!_

I closed my eyes and leaned against the headboard. I slowly drifted off….

My eyes popped open. _SHIT SHIT SHIT!_ I thought, my mind in a haze. _What time is it_? I glanced at my clock, but all I saw was dark, damp wooden panels. _Where am I_? I sat up…or at least, I tried to. _What the-_ The ground seemed to move underneath me and I ended up staring at a damp wooden floor. I rolled onto my back and stared at the room around me. Hammocks were strapped between thick wooden pillars. Men lay sleeping and snoring as they swayed lazily with the rocking of the room. _Am I… am I on a boat?_ I glanced toward a window and saw….water! _Holy mother of God, I'm on a boat!_ (As soon as I thought this, a verse of The Lonely Island's "I'm On A Boat" popped into my head, but I promptly dismissed it as it was definitely not the time.) I stood up carefully, trying to keep my balance as the ship knocked and tossed on the water. I took a step forward and accidently fell onto a sleeping man peacefully holding his teddy bear. His eyes cracked open.

"Will ye watch where yer going!?" he said, angry to have been awoken.

"Sorry!" I whispered and removed myself clumsily from his hammock.

This gave him ample time to look me up and down. I was wearing what was regular pjs to me: a pair of grey shorts and a baggy light blue t-shirt, but I wasn't wearing a bra. His eyes widen as he saw that I was in fact, female. His gaze stopped at my chest and I felt a heat rise in my face as my heart began to beat faster. Thankfully, his gaze continued and a wave of realization overtook his face as he saw something on my wrist. He sighed and turned over, muttering to himself.

"He always takes the best ones for 'imself,'e does."

_What? What's going on?_ I looked down at my wrist. There is a red cord strung with many oddly shaped beads tied around my wrist. _The fuck is this?_ _I wasn't wearing any bracelets before!_ I needed some air. I located a staircase which seemed to lead to the main deck of the ship. Carefully, I picked my way through the maze of hammocks, cautious not to wake up anymore of the men.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I found myself on the deck of a very large old-fashioned pirate ship. I looked up and noted that it even had a skull & crossbones flag flying above the crows-nest. Suddenly, I heard a grunt behind me and then a pair of thickly muscular arms wrapped around me and picked me up. I started to scream, but one of the arms held my weight so the other could cover my mouth.

"Quiet now, pretty lady," a deep masculine voice whispered into my ear. "We don't want to wake the rest of the crew, now, would we?"

I silently nodded, tears starting to form in my eyes and my heart beating at hyper speed.

"Good lass," came the voice once more. "Come along, the captain wishes to see you."


	2. Chapter 2

The arm cinched around my waist released and moved to my face, where it met its partner and tied a red cloth over my eyes, obscuring my vision. _Great_, I thought, _This is going perfectly._ I was led by the arms for what seemed like hours but what was probably closer to 5 minutes.

"Stay put" grumbled the voice.

I heard the man knocking on something, a door, then creaking of the door opening in front of me. The arms forced me forward and light washed over my covered eyes. I was made to sit down on a hard, straight-backed chair. I heard footsteps toward the door, which closed, and a small clinking noise.

Suddenly, warm hands were on my face, caressing my cheek, gently releasing my curly hair from its bun, running through its length. The hands found their way to back of my head where my blindfold was securely tied. With a quick motion, the knot was untied and I was looking directly into the handsome face…

Of Captain Jack Sparrow!

"Hullo luv" he purred into my ear.

A small shiver went down my spine.

"H-Hello" I managed to stutter. _My God…I can practically hear my ovaries exploding!_

He smiled in a devilish way as if he could read my thoughts. I blushed.

I took a moment to look around the room I was now in. It featured a large desk covered in trinkets and bobbles plus several maps and quills with ink. In the far corner, there was a four poster bed with red sheets. Various maps of the world and a few pictures hung on the walls. But the kicker was the hundreds of gold items that lay scattered on the floor, under the bed, around the desk, everywhere. I looked back to face him and found his eyes wandering over me, like the man did earlier but in his eyes there was…possession and…desire. He took his sweet time, drinking in my vulnerable form.

I cleared my throat to distract him from his gaze.

"Ugh, Jack-" I started.

"That's Captain Jack to you. Never forget that." He said dramatically.

"Right, Captain. What am I doing here? How did I get here?"

"All in good time, luv, all in good time. I want to know about you first." He took another chair, spun it around, and sat down with a flourish while shooting me a glance.

_But how am I here if he doesn't already know about me? Confusing!_ I decided to humor him.

"My name is Azure Springlight. I'm 18 years old and have one older brother, Cameron. Both of my parents died in a boating accident so I live with my brother in Boston. I have a cat named Skylar and a goldfish named Gregory."

He seemed genuinely interested in what I was saying, but also slightly hurt.

"So you remember nothing?" he asked.

_What!_ "What do you mean?!" I asked, confusion rising in my voice.

"Maybe this will help you remember."

Without so much as a warning, he sprang from his chair and his velvety lips were locked on mine in a passionate frenzied kiss. It was like I was traversing galaxies in seconds, exploring new corners of the world I had never known. The moment ended far too quickly.

He pulled back and his chocolate brown eyes met mine. "Anything?" he whispered.

My mind was still spinning from the kiss, the reason being that it was the only time in my recollection of ever being kissed. (I am still a virgin.)

"Nothing." I manage to whisper, my breath still coming to me.

"Dammit," he spun around and began pacing near the desk. "You don't remember any of the past two days?" He looked very upset and disappointed.

"Well, maybe I'll remember if you tell me what happened." I suggested.

He sat down again in the chair.

"I was searching for the legendary Water Nymphs of Virgin Gorda when I stopped one night to take shelter in a cave. I was sleepin' away when I awoke to sound of a lass singin'. I followed the sound 'till I reached a pool of water." He seemed hesitant whether to continue. "I looked into the water to see…a face. Of a beautiful woman. She called to me, begging me to come closer. I came closer and closer to the water when I was pulled under." He turned to face away from me. "All I remember is blackness but then light….And your face." He spun sharply around to face me. "Your face. You. You caring for me. Bathing my wounds. Leading me back to my men two days ago." He stopped, as if he couldn't continue.

He kneeled down on one knee at my feet and took my hands in his. I looked at them; his seemed to be perfectly made to fit mine in them. Slowly, images danced across my mind: looking up through the water, pulling a handsome man out of the spring.

"You brought me back to your ship, clothed me, fed me…" I said quietly. His eyes lit up. "But how am I in these clothes? And how do I remember being Azure?"

"That's because you are Azure. It's your legend. You're a Water Nymph." He responded.

_That doesn't seem possible._ "I'm far from being a nymph! Nymphs are beautiful and intelligent and –"

"You are all these things! The Water Nymphs of Virgin Gorda have a special power. Their spirit can inhabit one human body and one nymph body." He insisted.

Some of it started to come back now. How I lived with my sister nymphs but also with my human family. Singing while I combed my hair on a sun-warmed rock. But I could also remember going through human aspects like going to school, learning to ride a bike, eating ice cream on a hot day in August. The last thing was…saving Jack from the water harpies that prey on men.

"I remember my human and nymph life, but I still don't remember what happened yesterday or why I'm wearing these clothes!" I exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure the clothes were the last thing that your human form was wearing. As for what happened yesterday, we can save that for tomorrow. You should get some sleep now." He pointed to the four poster bed in the corner.

_Sleep sounds GREAT!_ "Where are you going to sleep?" I asked tentatively.

"In the bed too, luv. Is there a problem?" He asked mischievously.

"No…just promise me you'll be a gentleman." I demanded.

"A pirate doesn't make promises he can't keep. Savvy?" He smiled that amazing half-smile as he walked over to the bed and got in. "Come on then."

I debated whether or not to get in the bed but then my sleepy brain won out.

He blew out the candle. "Goodnight, luv." He was snoring within seconds

"Goodnight, Captain." I sighed as I let the gentle rocking of the ship lull me to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

I slept almost soundly through the night, only waking up only once around dawn. I opened my eyes… and found myself face to face with Jack. His face was so peaceful in sleep, like an innocent child. I sighed then finally noticed why I was so hot; his arms were around my waist, holding me close to him, and my hands were pressed firmly up against his muscular chest. _How did I even end up in this position? Still…it's not the worst place for a girl to wake up in…_ Slowly, I extracted myself from his embrace and turned over, returning to sleep.

When I woke up later, he was gone. I glanced out the window. Judging by the amount of light there was, it was probably a little after noon. On a chair beside me there lay a dress. _Where did he find a dress on a ship of men?_ I decided that I didn't to know. I rolled out of bed and picked up the dress, examining it. It was about ankle length and made of blood red material. Black velvet formed a corset over a white blouse. I slipped off my pjs and pulled on the dress. It felt a bit scratchy, probably from being around salt water. _I should probably find some shoes or something…_ The thought of walking around a dirty ship without something on my feet made me slightly nauseous. I checked under the bed, and found many pairs of boot similar to the ones Jack wore. I found a pair that looked close to my size and pulled them on._ Much better. _Then I went out in search of Jack and breakfast. _or lunch, I guess_.

As soon as I left the safety of the captain's quarters, men's eyes were on me like moths to a flame. It was rather nerving. _It's like they haven't seen a female in weeks…which they probably haven't._ I felt a tiny bit afraid but then I remembered the red bracelet around my wrist, and how it had stopped the man I woke up yesterday. _It must mean that I am associated with the Captain_. I felt much better after realizing this fact, but I still kept to myself.

I wandered around the ship, trying to think of places Jack could be. _Who would've thought it would be so hard to find one person in a small location in the middle of nowhere?_ I tried to think of places he could be. _The wheel, most likely!_ I headed over to the wheel of the ship, where sure enough, I found Jack peering over some maps on a table. He heard my footsteps and without looking up, barked:

"I told you, Gibbs, I don't wish to be bothered!"

"Um, excuse me?" I managed to squeak out, startled by his command.

His head snapped up.

"Oh, good afternoon, luv. I thought you were Master Gibbs."

"Yeah, obviously. Whatcha workin' on?"

"Just working on our next movement. Don't worry about it…You look good enough to eat." He took his time to admire my outfit. He smiled when he saw my shoes.

"Those look a bit big on you, my dear…but you know what they say about men with big shoes…" He winked.

I blushed but giggled. My stomach rumbled.

"Um, Captain, do you have anything that I could eat? I'm famished!"

"Why yes, anything for the lovely lady!" He opened a box that was beside the table and brought out a bunch of bananas and a few apples.

"Thanks!" I said gratefully. I picked up a banana and unpeeled it. As I was eating, Jack kept looking up from his maps and giving me a funny look every now again. _What's his problem?_

I ate another banana and two apples while looking out at the mystifying water then tried to help Jack with his calculations for a while. I must have been a pain because he started to pack everything up and said:

"Why don't we go for a walk?" he said. I accepted and he took my hand as we walked down the stairs to the main deck. He showed me the different parts of his vessel, The Black Pearl. We passed a group of sailors taking a break with some bottles of rum who made kissy faces and sexual moans and grunts when they thought we couldn't hear them anymore. Jack spun on the spot and began to bark orders as they all scattered like roaches when the lights are turned on. He turned back to face me, grabbed my hand and led me back to his quaters. He closed the door behind him, locking it, as I sat on his desk. He stood in front of me.

"I think it's time we talked about what happened yesterday," he said sharply.

_Two days ago or yesterday? _"Do you mean yesterday or "yesterday" yesterday?" I asked.

"Yesterday yesterday." He responded.

"Okay" I really wanted to know what happened on this mysterious day.

He paced as he told the story.

"It all started when we returned to the ship 3 days ago. I was unconscious still; you managed to return me to the boat, at which point you were so exhausted that you also fell unconscious. I'm guessing it was a mixture of exhaustion and being away from your spring for so long. When I finally came too, 2 days ago, you were still out of it. I had the crew keep you downstairs, out of the sunlight. But you found your way out of the hold and came to my room. You said you wanted to see the man you saved, to see if he was as good inside as you thought he would be." I was stunned by this as I couldn't remember any of it happening. "Then you mentioned something about a place called Erzulie's Cove, that I must journey there if I wished…to be with you. Then… you kissed me." He looked slightly melancholy as he said this.

I sat there, unable to process all this new information. I remembered the sweet tingle of his kiss from yesterday.

"Then we went a bit farther…" I cut him off before he could continue.

"You mean we had sex!" I almost shouted.

"No," he said. "Well, it depends on your definition…"

"Am I still a virgin?" I asked, words not even being close to being able to describe how I felt right now.

"Yes."

"…Well, what did you do then?" I asked cautiously.

"It started like this." His arms were suddenly around my waist, pulling me off the desk and right up against his ripped physique. His hands ran through my hair then pushed up against the back of my skull, closing the distance between our lips. That universe-traversing feeling came back and my knees began to feel weak. A small moan escaped me lips. Without any warning, his hands moved from my head to my thighs and he picked me up. He walked over to the bed and lay down on top of me, his lips never leaving mine. All I could think was _More… oh God please More! _His lips left mine and traveled around my face, leaving light feathery kisses. He moved to my neck, planting warm kisses on every patch of skin he could find. His mouth traveled to my ear and he whispered: "Then moved here."

His hands found the strings to my corseted bodice and started loosening them. Then he slid the white blouse from my chest so that my upper half was exposed. His hands slid over the white skin of my breast in a way that I've never experienced before. _Or have I?_ He teased the nipple of the right while cupping the left. "Mmmm" he purred seductively in my ear. His head moved to my chest and I felt his mouth on my right nipple, gently sucking and nibbling, while playing with the left. I moaned again. I could feel myself grow wet. He must have sensed my desire because he moved to suck on the left and slid his hand down the curves of my body, over my stomach and hips to reach my core. He moved the material of the dress out of the way and traced his fingers lightly up my thighs toward my womanhood. He delicately touched my entrance though my panties, teasing it. He brushed my clit and a shiver ran up my spine.

His mouth moved to me ear again: "So wet, my luv. Do you remember?" He lifted the material of my skirt to my waist and moved to meet my covered mound. Removing my panties, he tucked them into his pocket. "For safe keeping" he said, mischief dancing in his sultry brown eyes. _That rascal!_ I was quickly torn from my thoughts when I felt his tongue on my entrance. I sucked in a breath. I felt two fingers where his tongue just was. They slowly moved inside me and came out just as slowly. I felt his tongue on my clit as his fingers began to fuck my entrance. I could feel my pulse soar as the pleasure started to build. His fingers moved faster and faster as his tongue swirled around and suckedS my sensitive clit. Faster and faster and faster and _Ahhh oohmy god oh mygod JACK! _I was pushed over the edge of ecstasy, gripping the sheets in my hands as if to anchor myself to this world. I felt myself come, followed by his tongue, his amazing tongue, lapping up all my juice. I lay breathing heavy on my bed, exhausted from all the pleasure.

Jack lay down next to me. I snuggled up to his chest and he pulled me close. He looked into my eyes then said:

"I think that's enough remembering for tonight. Let's get you to bed."

We got up and he pulled off my dress, placing it on the chair beside the bed. He crossed the room and opened a large trunk from which he pulled out a long white nightgown. He sighed dramatically as he handed it to me.

"Personally, I love what you have on right now but I think that you would be more comfortable in this."

I slipped on the nightgown and crawled into bed.

"You coming, Captain?" I asked.

"I am, my sweet." He pulled off his boots and untied his sword and belt, leaving them at the edge of the bed. He got in beside me and pulled me to his chest. I began to nod off quickly, being tired from the long day of remembering.

"And please, call me Jack." I fell asleep with a smile on my lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

So sorry for posting in a while! I've been super busy and I want to make sure this story comes out perfect!

Just a quick chapter, but hopefully more to come soon. I'm trying to work out the rest of the story.

Let me know what you think and if I should clarify/add anything!

I woke up with my head on his chest. Our legs were intertwined and his hands were firmly on my hips. As I slowly untangled myself from him, my hand brushed over something hard. _What do we have here?_ I moved my hand over the area again. Jack let out a small moan in his sleep. _OH!...oh…_ I grinned mischievously to myself when I realized what the hard thing was and the thought turned me on. _I think I'll Jack a little…thank you for his hospitality…_

I moved up besides his ear and nibbled it slightly.

"Jaaack," I whispered softly, seductively. "Good morning, Jack."

His eyes shot open. I kept my hand over his clothed hard-on.

"Did you forget to take your sword off last night, or are you just happy to see me?" I asked, surprisingly both him and myself with my boldness.

"Any day I can wake up to those cobalt blue eyes is a good day." He replied, in his usually suave manner, though still groggy from sleep.

"Let me try to make it a little better already." I challenged. I pulled the sheets down to the end of the bed so I see what I was going to work with. I ran my hand over his crotch while sending him my best seductive look. I slowly unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down.

_Damn…just, damn. _ His cock was massive, at least to my virgin self it was. It was at least 8 inches long and about 2 inches thick. I grasped it in my hand and slowly moved up and down the shaft. Jack let out a small groan as he reacted to my touch.

I leaned down and licked the head lightly, exploring the ridges at the top with my tongue. I explored every inch of his manhood with my mouth and tongue as possible, running up the shaft with my tongue, playing with his balls, tracing the muscular ridges with my fingers, slowly bobbing my head up and down his cock. All the while, I could feel Jack move underneath me as I pleasured him the best I could. At one point he moved his hands to the back of my head and began to thrust his hips up, matching my rhythm. I could hear him moaning in pleasure and as he drew nearer to the cliff of ecstasy he began to whisper my name. I could feel his cock pulsating in a frenzied tango in absolute rapture then I tasted the cold, salty pumps of cum slide down my throat.

I looked up to find Jack, heavily panting in post-orgasm delight, staring at me. I returned to my place beside him. He snuggled me close to his chest and I felt safe and protected

_And loved…_


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note:

First off, I can't believe I haven't updated in such a long time. I've been super busy and I really want to explore the plot and get the details in place.

I'm trying to focus on the development of the mystery/adventure aspect, but the naughtiness will continue ;)

Thanks to everyone for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, and critiques…

…

We spent most of the day consulting charts and maps in an attempt to find Erzulie's Cove. Every map was useless, as we found no trace of such a cove. Finally, Jack stood up and said:

"We must seek help on our quest for this place."

"Where will we go?" I asked, curious.

He faced out the window and looked off into the distance, his eyes glazed over.

"Where time seems to halt and the world has no end."

…

"What does he mean by that?" Jack's answer made no sense, but he had left so quickly after saying it that I didn't have time to ask him what the hell he meant. So, I found his loyal first mate, Master Gibbs.

"He's goin' to seek the gypsy mistress of the sea." Gibbs said smartly.

_Well, that's fuckin helpful!_ "And who might that be?"

"Tia Dalma, the lively lady herself."

_Ohh, that makes since…Tia Dalma knows the land and the sea, she can definitely help us…_

"How can we find her?"

"You see that compass that the Captain has," he pointed to the compass that Jack was holding as he pored over his maps. I nodded. "That's an enchanted compass given to him by the very same lady. It leads to whatever the heart of the holder desires the most."

_Interesting…I'll have to check that out._ "Thanks, Gibbs!" I said and went over to Jack to continue our research.

"How's the heading coming along, Jack?" Jack had told me earlier that we were stopped until we could find out where we were headed.

"We're making sail for the Lady of the Bayou's swamp; it should take us about two days." He answered tersely as he stood by the wheel. He seemed…distant.

_What's his problem? I'm only trying to help…_ "Okay…," I sensed he wanted to be alone, so I turned and headed back for the Captain's Quarters. I couldn't help but notice that the needle of the compass in his hand followed me as I went.

…

I spent most the next two days poring over the few books that Jack had on his ship in hope of finding something about Erzulie's Cove. I didn't find anything except that Erzulie was the Voodoo goddess of love, which was interesting but didn't help much. Jack remained aloof and terse with me. Even at night, he kept his distance from me in the bed, so much so that I could no longer feel his warmth. He always ate his meals at the wheel and spent all his time checking and cross-referencing maps. I spent much time with Gibbs. We discussed many things included Jack's embarrassing habits and even some tales of Gibb's time on the sea. He was very forthcoming with everything and I found myself understanding thoroughly why he was Jack's most trusted and loyal crewmember.

…

Jack, Gibbs, two more of Jack's crew, and I arrived at Tia Dalma's bayou in the morning. Jack helped me out of the boat then immediately went right to the door and knocked forcefully. As we waited for any kind of reply, I thought about Jack. He had been so detached lately, as if something had changed. I couldn't quite place it but I had developed an awful feeling in my stomach about it all. It felt like he couldn't stand to be around me. I was worried.

The door swung open suddenly and we were blown inside by a strong gust of wind. I looked around the cottage. It was filled with odds and ends of voodoo magic. There was even a basket of shrunken heads in one corner. On a table there sat 4 tea cups and a tea pot. _Hmmm…she must have known we were coming…_

"Well, if it don' be de man 'imself, Captain Jack." She emerged from a dark corner of the room, where she must have been standing the entire time. Looking us up and down, she gestured to the crewmembers. "Only de t'ree of yuh be needed in dis ceremony."

Jack signaled for the men to step outside. The woman poured tea into the 4 tea cups and handed one to each of us and, taking one herself, said:

"To see dat yuh are safely protected inna yuh journey, we mus perform de sacred rites. Drink."

She promptly lifted the cup to her lips and drained it. I peered at the muddy brown liquid in my cup and tentatively took a sip. _YUCK! What is this? Definitely not tea!_ I glanced over at Gibbs, who was also struggling to swallow the brackish drink. Jack, on the other hand, had finished his without so much as a flinch. I took a breath and chugged the rest of the "tea". It burned like acid on the way down.

"De cups." Tia Dalma said, holding out her hands to collect the cups. Placing one on each corner of the table, she pulled a small vial containing a clear liquid out of one the many various items tied around her waist. Opening the vial, she added two drops to each cup and turned back to us.

"We mus wait fah potion to work. Inna da meantime, I know dere be anodda reason yuh come to see meh." She looked at me. "An' it concerns you, my sista."

"Yes," I responded hesitantly. "That is, it does concern me. Apparently, I am a Water Nymph of somewhere called Virgin Gorda and I-"

"What's dis "apparently"? Dis es ya destiny, chile, yuh mus be proud of it! Yuh is a Wata Nymph, a chile of the gods!"

"Okay… The thing is, we have to find something called "Erzulie's Cave but we have no idea where it is or what we'll find when and if we get there or even why we need to go there in the first place!"

"All inna good time, sista, all inna good time…"

Before I can ask any more questions, Tia Dalma quickly returns to the tea cups. She examines them one by one.

The first she looks at is Gibbs'. The liquid in it had turned a dark green color. "Jus wah I be t'inkin'. Loyal…trustworthy…dependable. Stay wit 'im." Tia says to Gibbs, with a nod.

The next she looks at is her own but she merely glances at it and makes no comment. The liquid in it had turned black.

The next is mine. Curious, I look at its color: white, but streaked with light blue…or maybe blue streaked with white; I wasn't sure. "Very good. She is on the right path." She looks up at me before she continues. "Yuh mus believe innna yuhself an' wha' yuh are, especially inna de coming time when yuh will be tested."

She reaches Jack's cup. The once-transparent liquid has turned a fiery red. "Ahh, Jack, yuh 'ave not changed a bit den. Yuh 'ave de mos pressin' problem. De spell on dis here Nymph is one uh de causes of yuh own problem. Yuh mus overcome de obstacles to attain de prize. De odda ding is dat yuh mus trust yuhself, Jack."

Then Tia Dalma turned and handed each of us our respective cups.

"Here is wuh yuh mus do. De protection of the Wata Nymph will nah allow yuh and Jack to…'ave serious relations. (_This is about to get awkward… I just know it_.) 'e is 'avin' dis problem partially due to yuh…past ecnountas (_Aaaannnd, there it is…_). But de odda reason…well, Jack can tell yuh 'imself lata. Before anyt'in' else, drink again; dis is now de blessin' potion dat will help yuh pon ya journey."

We all drank from our cups once more. This time, the drink was not the putrid "tea" of before but was sweeter, like lemonade. We handed our cups back to Tia, who set them in a stack on the table. She continued speaking:

"De solution to yuh problem is simple; yuh mus bruk de cuss. To be togedda, yuh mus travel to Erzulie's Cave and fulfill de task. Dis will nuh be easy."

"What will we have to do?" I asked.

"To bruk dis curss, yuh must bring three t'ings. De first is an item fram ya human life. De second item is sum of da wata fram ya spring. De final item is a cherished token of de man, willingly given. Take all dese items to de alta of Erzulie and prove ya declared love and yuh can live ya life togedda foreva."

"But where is Erzulie's Cave, let alone the alter of Erzulie?"

"To find wuh yuh seek, it is sometimes easia to start weh yuh began…"

_It couldn't be …_ "Do you mean to say that Erzulie's Cave is on Virgin Gorda?"

"Dat's correct. But dohn be hawd pon yuhself, it is very hawd to find, as ongle a mon an' a Nymph togedda can find it. De alta itself can be found inna the cave, but yuh mus pass the tests set fah yuh once yuh enta…To help yuh pon ya jounrye, I gi' yuh two gifts."

With that, she began to search through cupboards until she found and presented us with the two promised gifts: a map and what looked like a canteen of some sort made out of a smooth gourd.

"De map will lead yuh to the Cave of Erzulie once yuh reach Virgin Gorda. Dis gourd will, once filled, neva empty. Use dem wisely…Now it is time to begin ya journey"

She shooed us out the door and we returned to the ship, still pondering the events of the day.

…

Later that night, I sat brushing my hair in Jack's quarters. I was thinking about what Tia Dalma had said when I heard the door open followed by the sound of Jack's boots on the wood floor of the ship and the closing of the door. Jack walked over the where I sat on the bed and sat behind me. I felt his hands graze mine as he took the brush from my hand and began to run it through my hair in gentle strokes. We sat for a moment together in an awkward silence until he stood and said:

"You've had a long day, luv. Let's get you to bed."

I was too tired to protest, but I couldn't help asking:

"Aren't you coming, too?"

"Not yet, dearie. I have to do a few more things before joining you." He kissed me on the forehead.

"Well, don't keep me waiting too long." I said.

"Not a moment longer than necessary, pirate's honor." He grinned mischeviously.

I rolled my eyes and snuggled into the bed to attempt sleep.


End file.
